While we know some of our staff want to retire, it doesn’t make it any easier to say “Good bye.” Such is the case with John Copeland’s retirement – again. Under John’s capable hands, our Water Watchers program expanded 5-fold, helping to make the New River watershed a better place on his leaving than when he found it.
After 25 years as a fisheries biologist in the Blacksburg office of the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (VDWR), John retired to join the New River Conservancy team. During his years as the New River fisheries biologist, he led multiple fisheries management projects including the New River native Walleye restoration program, Claytor Lake fisheries monitoring and habitat restoration. As a participant in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s relicensing process, John helped to shape New River flow agreements with the Appalachian Power Company and improve conditions for river recreationists downstream from Claytor Lake. At Claytor Lake, he developed the Claytor Lake hydrilla management plan, successfully controlling this nonnative invasive aquatic plant, resulting in extensive work on native aquatic vegetation restoration and fish habitat improvement programs.
He previously worked for VDWR in their Farmville, Fredericksburg and Charlottesville offices. During his early career, he held fisheries positions with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, the Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation, Virginia Power Company, and the Virginia State Water Control Board. He even worked as a foreign fishery observer in the Bering Sea, where he learned the sailor’s life was not for him!
From John “Since I am not getting any younger and our farm work is very physically demanding, my wife Lucy and I have been talking about a change for some time. After some consideration, we decided that we need to make a transition sooner rather than later. Lucy and I are currently clearing out our house so we can get the farm listed for sale.” He continues “Lucy got infected with Grandma fever so bad I’m moving next door to 2 of our grandchildren, our only grandson Jensen Rogers (3), who has my middle name, and our granddaughter Dottie (6)! The other 3 grandchildren can be visited with a lazy Amtrak ride of 5 hours to Chicago for visits. Our son Stephen is currently in seminary with a graduation date in May 2028. It’s sad to be leaving Virginia and the mountains of southwest Virginia, but we are looking forward to new adventures in a new place. Perhaps the Ozark region will become our new playground.”
We will miss John’s infectious laugh, his easy-going manner (that helps us stay calm even in a crisis) and, of course, his love of the New River. John leaves us all better than how he found us.
